Mop having sleeve-type mop head



May 30, 1967 c. E. OLSEN MOP HAVING SLEEVE-TYPE MOP HEAD Filed May 24, 1966 INVENTOR CARL E. OLSEN ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3 321,791 MOP HAVING SLiiIEVE-TYPE MOP HEAD Carl E. Olsen, Merrick N.Y., assignor to The New York Association for the Blind, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 24, 1966, Ser. No. 552,520 4 Claims. (Cl. 15-229) The present invention relates to improvements in mop construction.

Heretofore in the production of mops for floors and the like it has been proposed that the mop head of wool or like strands when arranged in substantially parallel alignment be joined at their mid-section by transverse tapes which by sewing maintain the mop strands in assembled spaced relation and also provide a transverse sleeve for the reception of a reinforcing metal rod. It has also been proposed that the metal rod be long enough to protrude beyond the ends of the tape sleeve, and that such rod, sleeve, and mop head strands be bent into the form of an almost closed flattened oval, with the protruding ends of the rod projecting outwardly from such oval and in substantially parallel relation and providing two lugs which may be gripped or engaged by a mop handle provided with suitable clamping means for such lugs.

The present invention provides a clip member for use with mops of the type described, and an improved mop incorporating such clip member when applied according to the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings which illustrate in FIG- URES 1, 2 and 3 the prior art methods of assembly and construction on which the present invention is an improvement, and in FIGURES 4, 5, '6 and 7 the improved mop head and method steps of the present invention,

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a mop head in course of assembly showing the mop strands, the transverse tape sleeve and the reinforcing rod about to be inserted therein;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along the line 2--2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a mop head constructed according to prior art practice showing the mop strands, tape sleeve and reinforcing rod formed in the shape of a flattened oval with the protruding ends of the rod being bent to provide two projecting substantially parallel lugs for engagement by a handle with suitable clamping means;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the novel clip provided by the present invention before it has been assembled into clamping engagement with the mop head;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the clip shown in FIG. 4 taken along the lines 55 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view partly in section of the mop head assembly produced according to the present invention and the handle and clamp for use with the same prior to engagement of the handle and clamp with the mop head; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in section of the mop head and handle clamp in final assembled position.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings for a more detailed understanding of the present invention, reference will first be made to FIGS. 1 to 3 inclusive which show the prior art construction of mop heads and the method of making the same, on which the present invention is an improvement.

According to such prior art practice a plurality of mop head strands 10 of wool or other suitable material of substantially equal length are arranged in more or less parallel relationship on a flat surface and are joined together transversely at about their mid section by strips of canvas or like tape 11 which overlie and underlie the mop strands, such tapes having two rows of stitching 12, 13 adjacent each edge which engage all of the mop strands and hold them in spaced assembled relation with such tapes and also provide between the two lines of stitching a sleeve opening 14 of suflicient size to receive a reinforcing metal or like rod 17. In FIG. 1 the rod 17 is illustrated as about to be inserted in the sleeve opening 14 by being moved in the direction of the arrow. The rod rod positioned within the sleeve is shown in the crosssectional view, FIG. 2.

Also, according to prior art practice, the tapes 11 customarily extended beyond the side edges of the strands 10 to provide two strand-free ends 11a, and 11b, and the rod 17 customarily was longer than the sleeve provided in the tape 11 so as to have its ends project beyond each tape end 11a and 11b. The mop head of the prior art was then finally formed by bending the reinforcing rod, tapes and mop strands in the shape of a substantially closed flattened oval with the projecting ends of the rod 18a, 18!; being bent outwardly at substantially right angles to the mop head (as shown in FIG. 3) and in substantially parallel relation to each other so as to provide a pair of lugs for engagement by a clamp provided on the mop handle.

While mop heads of the construction thus far described have been commercially successful and their ease of assembly has made it possible for handicapped people, such as the blind, to fabricate the same, it has been found that such mop heads have certain shortcomings which the present invention overcomes. The first such shortcoming is that the two lugs 18a, 13b to which the handle had to be clamped and which are formed from the reinforcing rod by themselves do not provide suflicient rigidity. Secondly, they do not maintain the rod, the tapes and the strands in proper assembled relation with repeated removal of the mop handle.

According to the present invention these and other deficiencies of prior art mop heads of the type referred to are completely eliminated while still permitting handicapped people to assemble or fabricate the same.

The present invention provides a sheetmetal clip 25 shown in perspective in FIG. 4 and in sectional view in FIG. 5 which is in the form of a V-shaped channel member having a base 26 with two openings 27, 27 and two legs 30, 31 on each side wall of the V which are joined by a web member 32. The openings 27, 27 are sufficiently large to receive and accommodate the lugs 18a, as shown in FIG. 6. In their preferred form they are rectangular and of somewhat longer width than height so as to allow for variations in the spacing of the lugs during manufacture. As best shown in FIG. 5 each leg 30, 31 has been punched to provide a dimpled perforation 40 and a plurality of inwardly projecting teeth 41.

According to the method of the present invention when a mop head has been produced to the condition shown in FIG. 3, with the reinforcing rod 17 located within the canvas or like tape sleeve, the rod, sleeve and strands arranged in a flattened oval with the exposed ends of the rod projecting as a pair of substantially parallel lugs 18a, 18b with the strand-free ends of the tapes 11a, 11b in the position shown, the clip 25 is slipped into position With the lugs 18a, 18b protruding through the openings 27, 27 and the legs 30, 31 extending over the strand-free ends of the tapes. When in this position the legs 30, 31 of side walls 32 of the clip are pressed into tight clamping engagement with the strand-free ends of the tapes and the reinforcing rod and assume the position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

With this construction it has been found that a very rigid mop head assembly is provided which readily accomrnodates the conventional mop handle and clamp. Such conventional mop handle and clamp is shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings and comprises a handle portion 45 having a sleeve 46 integrally formed with the upper jaw 50 of the clamp, an inwardly turned lip 50a and side flanges 50b. The lower jaw 51 also has an inwardly turned lip 51a and side flanges 51b. A downwardly extending leafspring 47 in the form of a T has been cut from the surface of the upper jaw 50. The two clamping jaws 50, 51 are releasably engageable by means of a bolt 53 and a wing nut 54.

It will thus be noted that with the conventional mop handle and clamping jaws as thus described in open position they will engage over the top and bottom web members 32, between legs 30, 31 and that the lugs 18a, 18b will be positioned inwardly of the flanges 50b, 511). When the wing nut is tightened to bring the clamping jaws into gripping engagement with these parts a rigid assembly is obtained.

Having now particularly illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that my invention permits of various modifications without departing from the spirit thereof or from the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A mop head comprising a plurality of mop strands, a transverse flexible tape connecting said strands at approximately their mid-section and extending beyond the edges of said strands, means including said tape forming a sleeve having two strand-free ends, said sleeve accommodating a reinforcing member, said reinforcing member being in the form of a flattened oval and having each end protruding beyond the sleeve and arranged to provide two projecting parallel lugs, and a channel-shaped clip having two side walls and a base with holes in the base which accommodate and position said lugs, said lugs protruding through said holes, said clip side walls being clamped into retaining engagement with said strand-free sleeve ends and said reinforcing member.

2. A mop head according to claim 1, wherein the side walls of said channel-shaped clip are provided with leg portions at each end and with a cut-out web portion inbetween.

3. A mop head according to claim 2 wherein said leg portions each have inwardly dimpled retaining portions which engage said sleeve ends.

4. A mop head according to claim 2 in combination with a handle having at one end a releasable clamp having two clamping jaws with inturned forward lips which engage over said clip at its cut-out web portion, and at least one of said jaws having inwardly-turned side flanges which retain said parallel lugs therebetween.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 928,991 7/1909 Loan 15229 2,621,353 12/1952 B'agley 15153 2,797,968 7/1957 Le Febvre et al 15147 X FOREIGN PATENTS 518,549 2/ 1931 Germany.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A MOP HEAD COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF MOP STRANDS, A TRANSVERSE FLEXIBLE TAPE CONNECTING SAID STRANDS AT APPROXIMATELY THEIR MID-SECTION AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE EDGES OF SAID STRANDS, MEANS INCLUDING SAID TAPE FORMING A SLEEVE HAVING TWO STRAND-FREE ENDS, SAID SLEEVE ACCOMMODATING A REINFORCING MEMBER, SAID REINFORCING MEMBER BEING IN THE FORM OF A FLATTENED OVAL AND HAVING EACH END PROTRUDING BEYOND THE SLEEVE AND ARRANGED TO PROVIDE 